Directions:
1. Place chicken in a large shallow baking pan.
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter; stir in remaining ingredients and heat through
3. Brush glaze over chicken.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or 1 1/4 hours or until the chicken is golden brown.

5. Baste chicken frequently with sauce while baking. There may be some burnt sauce around the edges of the pan.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

I love these cookies and have been making them forever. When I was
little, my mom always made them and let me help and now I enjoy making
these cookies for my own kids. It is so easy to coordinate them to
whatever holiday is around the corner with the various holiday-colored
M&Ms.

Directions:
1. Blend shortening and sugars in a large bowl.
2. Beat in the vanilla and eggs.
3. Mix together the dry ingredients.
4. Add to the sugar mixture, blending well.
5. Stir in 2 cups of candies.
6. Drop by teaspoon on an ungreased baking sheet.
7. Decorate the tops with the remaining candy.
8. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees or until golden brown.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

The Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area is chock full of activities and fun
family adventures. The good news is that there are quite a few FREE
places to check out. I have highlighted 5 below.

1) The
Smoky Mountains National Park- Duh!! This beautiful expanse of park
providing the scenic backdrop for the area seems like a no-brainer, but
quite a few visitors to the area never step foot in the actual park. We
took a narrated tour in to the park and our guide told us that it is
approximated that half of all visitors to the area don't actually go to
the national park. Cades Cove, Clingman's Dome and Sugarlands Visitor
Center are just a few of the highlights to visit while in the park.

2)
Visit The Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge. This mega-store features
anything and everything Christmas. The kids will love perusing the many
displays and enjoying the Christmas spirit all year long. Across the
street, The Inn at Christmas Place is a Christmas-themed hotel that is
also fun to explore to check out the displays.

3)
Stroll the streets of Gatlinburg. Taking a walk down the quaint streets
of Gatlinburg is great for people-watching and checking out the fun
trinket shops and candy-making stores. Head on over to the riverwalk
along the Little Pigeon River, right off the main drag in Gatlinburg. A
little quieter stroll and lovely scenery.

4) Old
Mill/Patriot's Park. The Old Mill Shopping District features the Old
Mill itself, which sits along the Little Pigeon River,and some cute
shops including the Old Mill's general store. I enjoy the restaurant at
The Old Mill, although this is not free, it is definitely tasty. Walking
around the grounds is free, but if you want to take a tour of the
inside of the mill, there is a small fee. Patriot Park is next to the
Mill and is a nice park featuring displays pertaining to American
heritage and patriotism. It was a perfect place to let the kids run off
some energy.

5) Drive the Arts and Craft Loop. This
loop has a plethora of handmade arts and crafts from local artisans.
Take the loop and check out painting, pottery, wood crafts, leather
crafting, candles, glass-blowing, basket weaving, quilting and more.
There is no fee to just take the loop and stop to watch the artisans at
work; however, if you don't wish to drive it yourself, there are
trolleys available for a nominal fee that will take you along the loop.

The
Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area has so many fun family activities- many of
which are free or very budget-friendly. Take some time to check them
out on your next trip to the Smokies.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Take a few minutes and check out UPromise, which is a program specifically designed to help parents save for their child's college education. The money you can receive in your UPromise account is accumulated through the products and services you might normally be purchasing anyway.

Take a look at their website and see if the program might be a good fit for your family to save a little extra towards higher learning.www.upromise.com

Thursday, January 3, 2013

A terrific book that is very helpful as a mom in understanding your kids' birth order roles in your family is The Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman. I found it to not only be helpful with the kids, but also gaining insight in to my own behaviors and those of others. The book provides fascinating insights into how birth order affects personality, relationships, children, career prospects and parenting styles. It is one of those books that will have you reading a chapter and thinking, "Well, that explains a lot!"

I highly recommend reading it and adding it to your bookshelf as a a useful parenting resource.

WELCOME TO MOM MINUTES

I created this blog to share ideas about everything related to being a mom. I try to incorporate posts about travel, recipes, family time, learning, kid-friendly activities, organizing and plain old encouragement in small bits that can be read in a few minutes of your time.

FREE Ebook: Making Thanksgiving Meaningful: Kid-Centered Activities for the Holidays